Recent Articles
This Prophet Didn’t Mince Words with Oppressors
At a casual reading, Nahum sounds shockingly harsh for those of us who believe in an all-loving God. But this is Nahum’s message: The empire in any time and place that inflicts untold suffering on others is not unaccountable.
Pandemic Pushes 320M More into Food Insecurity
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact adds another layer of challenges to ending global hunger, bringing an estimated 320 million more people into a situation of food insecurity, a UN report said. And 161 million more experienced hunger.
July 19, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: How ‘In God We Trust’ Bills are Advancing a Christian Nationalist Agenda; Denominations Have Begun Creating Special Prayers for Fatal Mass Shootings; Can California Churches Save Theaters?; and more
Force-Feeding Immigrants: A Brutal Practice
The medical community has reached a growing consensus that force-feeding is morally wrong. Yet, the US government still regularly practices it as immigrants and asylum-seekers in detention facilities have gone on hunger strikes.
Top Fall 2020 Sermon Topics: Election, Pandemic, Racism
Most US churchgoers heard sermons in the fall of 2020 that mentioned the pandemic, the election or racism; sometimes, they heard two or all three of these topics, a report found. COVID-19 was the most likely topic to be mentioned.
Look Back | How We Blame Race for Our Behavior
When it comes to race, we speak as if we have no say, no will, no power at all. Race is not all that there is to say about humanity. Each of us needs to be more fully in Jesus Christ and less as race’s color-coded bodies.
All Aboard! Next Stop: New Opportunities
Many churches have been on the platform, watching the train of opportunity leave the station. Now, an emerging generation of Christians are getting on board to tackle racial inequality, climate change, income inequality and more.
Why So Many Ignore Their ‘Bleeding’ Neighbors – Part 2
Two things keep our nation from providing decent health care to the poorest of our neighbors. The first is a pathological individualism; the second is a structural racism based on conscious and unconscious commitment to caste.
Latest Nurturing Faith Book Invites You on ‘Breathtaking Journey’
In Still Going to Mullinix, join Jerry Haywood on a ‘breathtaking journey’ of fun, suspense, interesting critters and intriguing people – the latest book from Nurturing Faith, the publishing imprint of Good Faith Media.
Season 2 of ‘Raceless Gospel’ Premieres July 18
Season 2 of ‘The Raceless Gospel’ podcast, hosted by Starlette Thomas, will premiere on Sunday, July 18, on all streaming platforms. With the theme of ‘Bodywork,’ eight new episodes will drop, with a new installment each Sunday.
The Best Thing about Summer
Climate change has wrought havoc to so many things. Change isn’t going to happen without popular support from people willing to reduce their own carbon footprints. So get out there and start growing your own homegrown tomatoes.
How So Many Ignore Their ‘Bleeding’ Neighbors – Part 1
Newborns in 10 counties in Mississippi have a shorter life expectancy than newborns in Bangladesh. Yes, you read that right. A state filled with good Baptist people, the government has refused to expand Medicaid to help its own.
History’s Curtain Rises and We’re Not Center Stage
Americanized Christianity suffers deeply from a false sense of entitlement and defensiveness rather than sacrifice and service. It’s an exercise in self-absorption. Jesus constantly turned the attention of his followers to others.
How Online Churches Boost Members’ Engagement
Churches must develop online spaces for discipleship, care, connection, support, lament, prayer and praise. An online church is always open, allowing your members to be the church where they are whenever they need to be of service.
How Our Church Will Change After COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic cast light on the state of our churches. Some will not survive the exposure, others will, but none will be unchanged. Here is how our church is making the transition this fall as we come out of the pandemic.
Why North American Church Has Work to Do
Inside our homes and turned inward during the pandemic, many of us reflected deeply on what the North American church is doing. Bungling social issues, like its silence on police brutality, the church has bodywork to do.
The 2 Big Contributors to Gun Deaths We’re Ignoring
Most Americans favor stricter gun laws to curb the 40,000 gun-related deaths each year. To address this, we should start with the suicide epidemic, which we have failed to take seriously for over a generation, and domestic violence.
Why You Need to Reconsider Death Penalty Now
It’s time to reconsider the death penalty. Some say it’s a deterrent, but no evidence supports that. On top of that, consider the racial bias in which African Americans and Latinos are more likely to receive the death penalty.
People of Good Faith: Skye Perryman
Skye Perryman serves as president and chief executive officer of Democracy Forward Foundation. She is a member of Good Faith Media’s strategic advisory board for news and opinion.
The Spiritual Benefits of Your Furry Companion
He had shaggy hair with sad eyes. My furry companion, Bowie, reminded me that we need each other. You and I need one another in times of great joy and times of great destruction. And, sometimes, it helps to just take a walk.
2 Immigrant Dads Seek to Be Kids’ Role Models
We all make mistakes, but it’s even harder when a little guy – or gal – is watching, a child who just wants to be like their dad. Here’s how two immigrant men are overcoming their poor choices to be better role models for their kids.
July 9, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Former Trump Official’s God-and-Country Nonprofit Calls CRT Threat to ‘Colorblind Society’; Critical Race Theory is Just the Latest Battle: ‘The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy’; The High Cost of Becoming a None for American Muslims; and more
Kill the Indian to Save America
At the turn of the century, two Muscogee Creek children, Eloise and Ruby, were taken from their homes. The Chilocco Indian School believed that to save Indigenous people, one must kill the Indian inside. And they were not alone.
Pandemic Gave Mosque Unique Challenges
Seminary didn’t teach this: how to minister in a pandemic. Finding ways to connect to our faith communities while not meeting in person has been challenging. Here’s how our mosque met the challenge to stay open and safe.
S. Sudan Baptists Minister Amid Gov’t Instability, Hunger
Warfare, droughts, famine, widespread hunger, floods, locust swarms and a global pandemic – all of these have been endured by South Sudanese over the past decade. Through it all, Baptist pastors have been ministering faithfully.
July 8, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Virginia ‘Bible Study’ Group Was Cover for Violent Militia Plans, Prosecutors Say; Book: Trump Told John Kelly Hitler ‘Did a Lot of Good Things’; As United Church of Christ Takes on Race and LGBTQ Issues, Consensus Reigns; and more
Hearing Both Sides Now
Hearing from both sides is particularly important, especially if you have become more sensitive to racial disparities in our culture. We should take the time to listen. And it takes only one good ear to do it.
Pandemic Compelled Churches to Boost Technology
Sure, we have more rivers yet to cross, but the pandemic forced us to look at fresh ways to come together in worship, work and play. Compelled to expand beyond their ‘four walls,’ churches ventured into the vast ocean of technology.
Why True Freedom Actually Constrains You
We talk as if freedom is the absence of any constraint from doing whatever we might want to do. That is not real freedom, however. Freedom is never absolute or abstract. It’s always constrained by the realities of the situation.
July 7, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: A Horn-Wearing ‘Shaman.’ A Cowboy Evangelist. For some, the Capitol Attack was a Kind of Christian Revolt; AME Church to Address BLM, Voting Rights, in Delayed Meeting; The Pew Study’s Glazed Picture of Religious Tolerance; and more